Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Yes! It's the last day of May. I'm so happy to have this month behind us and look forward to what June will bring--no school, more swimming, vacation, camp, and hopefully warmer, more summer-like weather. Bring it!

Here are last week's pictures:

﻿Day 141- Saturday, 5/21/11

This is our second swim meet and it's a beautiful day! Having good weather makes a world of difference. My boys all did wonderful and each improved their time in all events. This is Tyler getting ready to swim and use the platform for the first time in a real race.

Day 142- Sunday, 5/22/11

Sunday is a day of rest especially on swim meet weekends. Justin is relaxing on the La-Z-Boy showing us all how it's done in true form. You can also see Bella sleeping on her bed in the background. I think I'll join them.

Day 143- Monday, 5/23/11

John spent a good amount of time putting up these foil strips in our backyard to help discourage birds from hanging out. We have way more birds this year than any other and they are making a HUGE mess. The shiny, reflective material and noise it makes is supposed to keep the birds at bay. We'll see how well it works. Can you spy 4 of them in this shot?

Day 144- Tuesday, 5/24/11

I seriously don't think his pencils will make through the last 2 weeks of school, and how does he even write with these? It drives his English teacher nuts that he refuses to get a new pencil. Oh well, if this is the only problem she has with him, I'm good with that. He does have other pencils available, but I guess this is his thing.

Day 145- Wednesday, 5/25/11

Bella thinks she's supervising but she's really distracting Brandon from getting his homework done. She hates that the boys have to do homework before they can play with her after school, and I know he hates it just as much as she does.

Day 146- Thursday, 5/26/11

Meet Hermes, Athena and Aphrodite. I've been caring for and socializing these cute little kittens at work the past couple weeks. They are shedding Toxoplasma which is an infectious disease requiring me to gown up, but they will clear their infection hopefully by the end of next week and can then be spayed and adopted out. I'm happy to report all 3 have good homes lined up and eagerly awaiting their arrival. It will be sad to see them go, but not sad to ditch the get up.

Day 147- Friday, 5/27/11

It's "Author Day" at school and the kids get to share a collection of writings they've assembled in a neat little book. We get to picnic together as they read to us. It's actually pretty telling and interesting. I learn a lot about my kids from their writings. It is also Hawaiian day hence Justin's shirt and lei.

OK one more-

May's Family Photo

This was taken by our backyard pool which can only be enjoyed from the sidelines as it's still way too cold for a swim. We're hoping to practically live in it most of June, July, and August so please somebody turn up the heat!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I'm so happy to be close to the end of May--almost there! Only 3 weeks of school left for the kids. Summer is so much more peaceful, easy going, and fun. I can't wait! I even think I'm more excited about the end of the school year than my boys but they'll get there. It was yet another bad weather week with lots of wind, rain, and coldness What happened to May? We usually have warm, even hot, weather in May but these past two years have not followed suit. I'm so looking forward to putting the rain behind us and heading into more sunny days. It puts me in a better mood and certainly makes swimming a lot more enjoyable for my own little school of fish ;0)

Take a look at last week's pictures-

Day 134- Saturday, 05/14/11

Here is Tyler on the "ready bench" at our first ever swim meet. We had a lot to learn and even though it looks sunny it was windy and cold out. The boys did great though and are looking forward to the next one. I'm very proud of them.

Day 135- Sunday, 05/15/11

Tonight is the Survivor Finale--congrats Boston Rob! We have been watching survivor as a family ever since Tyler was born over 12 yrs ago. I love how my boys really get into it even my 6 yr old who makes some amazing and insightful observations about the way certain people play the game. We are already counting down the days until the next season starts.

Day 136- Monday, 05/16/11

It's always a good day when the most recent Lego catalog shows up in the mail. My boys take turns pouring over it and drooling over the new releases. Harry Potter Legos are big right now. Tyler has his eye on a new expansion for the Hogwarts Castle, Brandon wants the Diagon Alley set, and Justin is inspired by the new Hero Factory characters.

Day 137- Tuesday, 05/17/11

I should have just stayed in bed today. It was not my day at all-- I flooded the downstairs bathroom first thing in the morning, work was almost to crazy to cope, traffic coming home was stopped on the causeway for an accident (as you can see I'm going nowhere fast), I was over 30 min late picking my kids up from school which has NEVER happened and brought me near tears, it's mid May and the weather is crap, plus I got soaked waiting for Tyler during a torrential down pour at swim practice. Blah!

Day 138- Wednesday, 05/18/11

On a happier note, this is one of our family's favorite books--Actual Size by Steve Jenkins. Tyler got it as a gift when he was a baby and we've passed it down through the years. Now when Brandon drags it out even the older ones gather around to marvel at the actual size of the amazing animals in this book.

Day 139- Thursday, 05/19/11

John is helping Justin look something up on the computer. Justin has been asking more and more to use the computer to look up video game cheats and in this case to design a Hero Factory Lego character of his own. It's a new feature at lego.com he discovered in that catalog that came Tuesday.

Day 140- Friday, 05/20/11

We have another swim meet tomorrow so everyone pitched in to get the house cleaned today. It's not the best way to spend our Friday afternoon but it has to be done now because we'll be way too tired after swimming tomorrow. The best thing I've ever taught my boys is how to help with the chores. Everything gets done so much faster with all hands on deck. Tyler, as the oldest, is the biggest help of course, but the others are learning to pull their weight too. My future daughter-in-laws will thank me some day.

That wraps up this week.
Thanks for stopping by and see you next Tuesday!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

What a week! I'm ready to fast forward through May and skip to June so I can be on vacation and slow things down a bit. Work is crazy, school is crazy, evenings are crazy, weekends are crazy, and the weather is crazy. Not sure how I'm surviving. I'll just take it one day at a time and look for the light at the end of the tunnel. I know it's out there somewhere.

Here are the pictures from last week-

Day 127- Saturday, 05/07/11

Tyler and his friends held a recycling event to raise money for the local youth group. It was pretty slow but a few people came through for them, and they ended up making just over $100.

Day 128- Sunday, 05/08/11

Happy Mother's Day! I'm very blessed to have 3 wonderful boys that spoiled me all day. It's tradition to have them take pictures with me in front of my roses which are usually just starting to bloom and it's one of the best gifts I could receive.

Day 129- Monday, 05/09/11

They came late this year but came in full force. Poor Tyler had his allergies kick into high gear after being out in the wind most of the weekend, and he's going through Kleenex like crazy. This is just one of many trash cans he's filled in the past couple days.

Day 130- Tuesday, 05/10/11

Karate has moved to the new community center which is a really nice building that has a great room for them but it's all the way across town and has very limited parking. I miss being at the rec center especially now that we have swimming there too.

Day 131- Wednesday, 05/11/11

This is Justin's Venus Flytrap he got for Christmas. It's thriving now that it's spring, and we all find it very rewarding to catch live mosquitoes and flies in our house to feed the carnivorous plant. Payback is sweet!

Day 132- Thursday, 05/12/11

Today I made an applesauce spice cake to take to our lab meeting tomorrow. There was no swim practice or anything else going on after work--shocker--so it was the perfect day to squeeze in some baking.

Day 133- Friday, 05/13/11
If only I could nap like this! Bella is relaxing like most afternoons. It must be so exhausting to be a dog! I love her new collar she got last month for her birthday--at least I have someone I can dress in pink and flowers ;0)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Is it Tuesday again already? My weeks lately are a blur. May is going to be a VERY busy month. This past week started out so nice with a couple days ending up in the 90's (I was in heaven because I love the heat) and then there was a big cool off with high winds. I think we dropped back down to the 50's which is way too much of a change for me. I want the 90's back! Hopefully the weather will make up its mind soon and stay warm for good. My kids need the warmer weather for swimming and we all need less wind for allergy relief.

Enjoy last week's pictures--mostly in the sun ;0)

Day 120- Saturday, 4/30/11﻿

We released Brandon's ladybugs into the backyard flower beds today. It was hard for him to let them go, but he knows they are better off for it and that he can go out back and look for them anytime he wants. I think they were happy to be let out and my roses will be forever grateful. Brandon was impressed they were old enough to have wings and already knew how to fly--his babies all growed up ;0)

Day 121- Sunday, 5/1/11

Happy May Day! Tyler was kind enough to pose with some May flowers as my monthly marker. It's so wonderful to see flowers that had completely died out last year come back to life in the spring.

Day 122- Monday, 5/2/11

Late last evening it was announced that US navy seals had captured and killed Osama Bin Laden who claims to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Of course this was all over the news today and the talk of the country. There was a great sense of national pride but also some uncertainty as to what this really means for our country's continued safety.

Day 123- Tuesday, 5/3/11

Justin decided to finish his homework on the couch today so he could be closer to me (awww). His brothers were already done and he felt lonely at the table. He's practicing for the STAR test which is the state's standardized testing system.

Day 124- Wednesday, 5/4/11

After filling up my tank I had to snap of shot of gas prices before pulling out of the station. These prices make me sick to my stomach. We did hear that the price per barrel of oil has now dropped so there may be some relief at the pump soon. As a commuter, I can only hope!

Day 125- Thursday, 5/5/11

This was one of those 90 degree days and the AC was not working in the classroom hence my wilted look, but we still had fun at Brandon's 1st grade Mother's Tea. His face is stuffed with cookies which is why he looks like a chipmunk!

Day 126- Friday, 5/6/11

Tyler has a recycle event tomorrow for a NJHS (national jr honor society) service project and is baking cookies to take as a thank you treat. Luckily he has no homework because he needs to get these done before swim practice. Thankfully he enjoys baking so I didn't get any attitude and he was more than happy to help and taste test for quality control.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Hello Tuesday! This past week went really fast probably because I was playing catch up at work from being out the week before. I have to say I like fast work weeks and just wish the weekends would last longer especially now that the nicer weather has kicked in. We're expecting 80 degree temps all week and that sounds perfect to me! It's been a LONG winter without much of a spring and I'm fine with skipping straight to summer.

Now to last week's pictures-

Day 113- Saturday, 4/23/11

The boys colored their Easter eggs. Some were supposed to be marbled but the marbling effect didn't really work. They still had fun though and are holding their favorites.

Day 114- Sunday, 4/24/11

Happy Easter! Here's Justin with his Easter basket in the wee hours of the morning hence the bedhead and pj's. He'll be getting a haircut next week! We had a wonderful day with a great brunch next door and a huge egg hunt for lots of kids hyped up on sugar ;0)

Day 115- Monday, 4/25/11

Back at work after a good, long, relaxing week off. Time to play catch up, and time for a new lab book. Number 9 is as full as it can get. It's probably my thickest book yet. I can't wait to crack open the new one. There's nothing like a fresh, crisp, clean book to dirty up. I know--I'm such a nerd.

Day 116- Tuesday, 4/26/11

Brandon is relaxing after school, wiggling his VERY loose tooth and snuggling with his new ladybug friend the Easter bunny gave him. Ladybugs are his latest fascination especially since ours started hatching late last week. At first they are a solid yellow and then within a few hrs they get their spots and start turning red. We now have 15 in all and will release them in the yard this weekend. For now they'll eat raisins and crawl all over the dome making a mess as Brandon watches in delight. He'll be sad to see them go, but is happy he has a ladybug plush he can keep forever to remember them by.

Day 117- Wednesday, 4/27/11

Tyler's learning to do the butterfly stroke at swim practice this week. It's not a favorite with most but he seems to like it a lot. His all time favorite is the back stroke because it's the most relaxing but he swims best doing the freestyle. His least favorite is the breast stroke. The first meet is in 2 weeks.

Day 118- Thursday, 4/28/11

That wiggly tooth came out yesterday and the tooth fairy paid a visit last night. My kids get a quarter (yes, only a quarter) and as a special treat a coin from another country so they can look up what part of the world the tooth fairy traveled from last. It's just a fun twist to take the emphasis off the money amount. His tooth fairy was last in Australia and brought him a coin featuring Queen Elizabeth in honor of the up coming royal wedding where she'll no doubt be going next ;0)

Day 119- Friday, 4/30/11
Speaking of the royal wedding, I wasn't crazy enough to get up and watch it live (2am PST) but I did tape and watch it when I got home from work today. It was a great way to unwind on a Friday afternoon. I loved every minute of it. Congrats William and Kate--Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I vividly remember my parents waking me in the middle of the night to watch William's parents, Charles and Dianna, wed back when I was 11 years old, and I was happy to be able see the next generation do the same.

Wait! There's one more . . .

April's Family Photo

This was taken Easter Sunday in our backyard. It's my favorite one so far, and look, even Tyler is smiling ;0) Love this shot.